Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – This summer, French politicians spent many hours defending the Comprehensive and Economic Trade Agreement between Canada and the European Union. The French National Assembly ratified the trade deal in late July and politicians, at least those in the governing party, spoke in favour of the deal and the economic value to France. […] Read more
Author Archives
CETA trade deal an exercise in frustration for ag exporters
In two years since adoption, Canadian exports to Europe have dropped
Researcher grades on-farm soil management
Eastern Canadian farmers get high grades for soil health awareness, but low grades for increasing soil organic carbon
Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – The grades are in. Eastern Canadian farmers get high grades for their understanding of soil health and the rapidly growing use of cover crops, but low grades for increasing tillage which reduces soil carbon storage. Mario Tenuta, a University of Manitoba soil scientist, says eastern farmers get a B for adoption of […] Read more
Bees approved to deliver disease control
Ontario technology gets U.S. approval for bio-fungus delivery by bees
Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Thirty years is a long time to wait. For John Sutton, the wait has been worth it because his novel idea from the late 1980s is finally coming to market. The United States Environmental Protection Agency recently approved a Canadian technology that uses bees to deliver a bio-control fungus that protects plants […] Read more
New neonic study points to songbird decline
The research, conducted in Ontario, says the insecticide suppresses appetite, disrupting migration
Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – The findings of a University of Saskatchewan and York University study may affect the fate of insecticide seed treatments in Canada. The study, which was published Sept. 13 in the scientific journal Science, has concluded that imidacloprid is a threat to songbirds. White crowned sparrows that consumed seeds coated with the insecticide […] Read more
Study questions benefits of extended grazing
There are benefits to taking cattle off when weight gain starts to decline – not when the grass is gone
Reading Time: 2 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – For more than a decade, Canadian cattle ranchers and researchers have looked for ways to extend the grazing season. They’ve studied and implemented bale grazing, swath grazing, corn grazing, using crop residues, perennial pastures held in reserve and other techniques to keep cattle on the field in the fall and winter. Meanwhile, […] Read more
Canadian exporters have hopes for hemp
CBD, an oil prized for health impact, now drives hemp market
Reading Time: 3 minutes Canada’s hemp industry has changed. Not overnight, but close. For years, hemp farmers have grown the crop for grain and partly for hemp fibres. This summer the majority of Canadian farmers are growing hemp to produce CBD. “I think with the CBD acreage, I think we might exceed that 170,000 (acres) this year,” said Jeff […] Read more
‘Slow-growth’ chicken soon to be on the shelf
Canadian researchers are determining what breeds of chickens would be best for slower-growth market
Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – The fresh chicken section, at the grocery store is easy to navigate. There is chicken breast and chicken thighs. Sometimes the bone is included, sometimes not. That simplicity may soon end. Before long, chicken meat with a “slow growth” label could appear at major grocers, because retailers and restaurant chains, like Whole […] Read more
New sweet potato variety sees slow uptake
New, shorter season variety expected to displace imports over the long term, but this year’s launch was disappointing for its developer
Reading Time: 2 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – This year was scheduled to be the launch of a new sweet potato variety in Canada. The launch didn’t turn out quite as expected, as only a dozen acres were planted in 2019. The variety, called Radiance, is a short-season sweet potato that matures in 118 to 122 days, making it suitable […] Read more
Crop prices poised to stagnate: FAO
A new report says world oilseed demand isn’t expected to keep up with supply, which could result in lower prices
Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – For the last five years, or longer, plant-based protein has been the shining star of global agriculture. Global demand for plant-based protein has exploded, thanks to massive Chinese imports of soybeans and booming public consumption of veggie burgers and other forms of plant protein. However, protein’s star could fade over the next […] Read more
Neonic seed treatments seen as safe for bees
Health Canada ruling yet to come on safety for aquatic insects
Reading Time: 2 minutes For years, groups like the David Suzuki Foundation and the Ontario Beekeepers Association have argued that neonicotinoid seed treatments represent a systemic threat to bees. “Health Canada… will be cancelling some uses of these pesticides, and changing other conditions of use such as restricting the timing of application,” a department news release said. “Remaining uses […] Read more
